Transcript A realistic look to the future

Legalization: When and What
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A realistic look to the future
Mark Zekulin, Tweed
May 28, 2016
Who is Tweed.
Who is Tweed.
• A team of 220 people in the cannabis sector including growers,
scientists, educators, and early compassion club founders
• Facilities from 1 Hershey Drive to Niagara wine country to sister
company Bedrocan in Toronto
• Support well over 10,000 patients with a range of symptoms
• Last week: answered 5500 patient inquiries
• Last Tuesday: we shipped 901 orders of cannabis to our patients
• Launched Petition E-190 in Parliament to remove tax from medical
cannabis
• Provided funding to support BC Compassion Clubs GST legal fight
Who is Tweed.
• First to offer Compassionate Pricing Program, with prices from
$4.80/g for whole bud
• Sister company Bedrocan sells all product for $5/g
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Launched largest cannabis clinical trial in the world
Have met with over 13,000 doctors
Provide accredited Medical Education Program for doctors
Founding funder of Quebec Cannabis Registry
• Openly support rights of patients to grow at home
• Partnerships with MADD Canada, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition,
researchers from Ryerson University and University of Ottawa
Who is Tweed.
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Tweed Main Street: four local support centres providing access and
information
Accommodating Medical Marijuana in the Workplace (HR event in Guelph)
MS Walk
Women Grow
Taste for Life Fundraiser for HIV/AIDS Local Service Organizations
Support to Canadian Aids Society
Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana to improve insurance access
Cannabis: Herstory (focused on women's stories in the industry)
Smiths Falls Food Bank
Local HIV/AIDS Walks
Police Education
OK – back to the
Couseling at Vancouver General Hospital
topic at hand …
Reality Check: There will be rules.
“To ensure that we keep marijuana out of the
hands of children, and the profits out of the hands
of criminals, we will legalize, regulate, and restrict
access to marijuana.” – LPC Policy Statement
Reality Check: There will be rules.
“Our government has committed to legalize, strictly
regulate and restrict access to marijuana in a
careful and orderly way,” – Bill Blair, May 2016.
Legalize it.
Many Opinions
Balancing Acts.
Who are the Stakeholders?
Balancing Acts.
Haters ...
(Prohibition)
… No Rules.
(Free the Plant)
Balancing Acts.
Haters...
Regular
Canadians.
… No Rules.
Balancing Acts.
Tax Revenue.
Haters...
Unions.
MADD
Canada.
Courts.
Police.
Nascent business
market.
Doctors.
Public health
advocates.
Provinces.
Big business.
Pharmacists.
Regular
Canadians.
Patients.
Municipalities.
International
Shoppers Drug Mart Community.
/ Loblaws.
Researchers.
Early Compassion
Clubs.
… No Rules.
Legalization is an opportunity for
Canada to be leaders on the
global stage and change the
world for the better. This means
acting progressively &
responsibly.
Likely Key Themes / Priorities for
Government.
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International Obligations: Government needs to be in
control.
Public Health Advocates / MADD Canada: Need rules and
systems in place.
Government Revenue: Need to be able to tax non-medical
sales.
Medical Patients and advocates: Patients still need
affordable, varied and accessible system.
So.
What and When.
What - Production.
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Medical and non-medical production both through
existing MMPR production system or something
similar.
Many more licenses?
Some relaxation of rules to allow smaller
operations?
New products?
Limited grow at home for both medical and nonmedical.
What - Distribution.
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Federal government to hand authority over to Provinces
to set up medical and recreational distribution?
Federal government to allow mail-order federal system
right away that Provinces can opt into?
Provinces make their own choices:
• Non-medical: LCBO, Cannabis Store, Retail private
licenses, mail order …
• Medical: Pharmacies, mail order, private licenses …
• Same distribution channels or different? Allow
overlap?
When.
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Spring 2017: Announce planned systems.
Spring 2018: New federal production (and
distribution?) systems in place as well as legal
framework.
Mid 2018: Provincial distribution channels start to
come online.